188 research outputs found

    Os avatares da cultura italiana em "Karina", romance de Virgínia G. Tamanini

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    Analisar o romance Karina (1964) da escritora capixaba Virgínia Gasparini Tamanini, destacando a representação da imigração italiana no Espírito Santo, é o que me move nesta pesquisa de mestrado. Com a travessia do Atlântico, tão negro quanto o de Gilroy, da personagem Karina e seu grupo de imigrantes até o assentamento em terras capixabas, os recém-emigrados buscaram se adaptar. Esse sonho coletivo de fazer a América explicitará, por meio da verossimilhança, os fios de contato entre Literatura e História. A pesquisa trará à lume a cultura italiana que, entrelaçada aos estudos culturais de Homi Bhabha e os estudos sobre representação proposto por Chartier, além de priorizar reflexões sobre identidade cultural dessas personagens, explicitará aspectos políticos, econômicos e sociais que condicionam alguns comportamentos e afloram outros. Nesse cenário, à luz do pensamento do teórico Stuart Hall, com quem também dialogarei, mostrarei como a identidade dos personagens apresenta-se fragmentada, visto que a necessidade de vinculação a um grupo de estrangeiros com o qual passarão a conviver possibilita um dos mais importantes fenômenos de identificação coletiva: a identidade cultural, que vai sendo (re) construída em outro espaço. Ao adentrarmos no cenário desse romance, buscaremos verificar a correspondência da representação identitária desses atores sociais que a obra nos permite perceber não ser tropo tardi para se investigar. Palavras-chave: Literatura/História Virginia Gasparini Tamanini Romance Karina Representação Identidade cultural

    Integrated stratigraphy and astrochronology of the Messinian GSSP at Oued Akrech (Atlantic Morocco)

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    A much improved high-resolution integrated stratigraphy (calcareous plankton biostratigraphy, magnetostratigraphy, cyclostratigraphy) is presented for the classic section of Oued Akrech (Atlantic Morocco) straddling the Tortonian^Messinian boundary. Magnetobiostratigraphic correlations with time-equivalent and astronomically dated sections in the Mediterranean indicate that cyclic alternations of indurated light beige coloured marls and softer, more clayey and reddish coloured marls are dominantly precession-controlled. Characteristic sedimentary cycle patterns, in particular those reflecting precession^obliquity interference, allow for one possible tuning, thus providing accurate astronomical ages for cycles, calcareous plankton events and magnetic reversals. The tuning further indicates that the reddish layers are the equivalent of sapropels in the Mediterranean. The Messinian Global boundary Stratotype Section and Point (GSSP) has recently been formally defined at the base of the reddish layer of cycle No. 15 in section Oued Akrech. This level coincides closely with the first regular occurrence of the Globorotalia miotumida group and is astronomically dated at 7.251 Ma. The global correlation potential is guaranteed by the straightforward calibration of the Oued Akrech magnetostratigraphy to the geomagnetic polarity time scale, locating the GSSP within C3Br.1r. In the marine realm the calcareous nannofossil genus Amaurolithus provides a series of extremely useful events to delimit the boundary on a global scale. The astronomical tuning guarantees a direct first-order calibration of the Messinian GSSP to the standard geological time scale once, as anticipated, the late Miocene part of the astronomical time scale has been incorporated

    Evaluating Ecklonia maxima water-soluble polysaccharides as a growth promoter of tomato seedlings and resistance inducer to Fusarium wilt

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    Alternatives to chemicals for plant management are increasingly used to reduce environmental pollution. Seed treatment with natural products may act as a priming effect by stimulating seedling growth and plant defence responses against fungal pathogens. In this framework, algae produce a wide variety of bioactive metabolites, which can be used in agriculture as biofertilizers or biostimulants. The purpose of this study was to investigate the possible role of water-soluble polysaccharides (WSPs) from the brown alga Ecklonia maxima applied on tomato seed in enhancing plant growth and inducing resistance to Fusarium oxysporum via modulation of multiple physiological parameters and metabolic pathways. Here, we first characterized the E. maxima WSPs by FT-IR spectroscopy, and then we tested the WSPs as growth promoters on tomato seedlings, and the physiological and defence responses of plants during pathogen infection. We found that WSP seed treatment without pathogen challenge stimulated seedling height and root growth by 24.5 and 62.9%, respectively. Under pathogen infection, plants exhibited long-lasting resistance against F. oxysporum until 46 days after seed treatment. The metabolic changes associated with resistance to Fusarium wilt in plant roots were related to an increase in phenols, flavonoids and protein contents as well as a higher chitinase and beta-1,3-D-glucanase enzyme activity. Moreover, PR1a, PR3 and other defence gene expressions were significantly increased. Resistance to F. oxysporum as a result of WSP seed treatment was also supported by FT-IR analysis of tomato roots. Infected roots showed a decrease in the relative intensity of the bands due to the syringyl ring and amide I and amide II in proteins. In contrast, WSP treatment alone and in the presence of the pathogen exhibited a spectral profile similar to that of the control. This research emphasizes the potential role of algal polysaccharides applied by seed treatment in promoting seedling growth and priming plant resistance against soil-borne pathogens

    Biomaterials for Pelvic Floor Reconstructive Surgery: How Can We Do Better?

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    Stress urinary incontinence (SUI) and pelvic organ prolapse (POP) are major health issues that detrimentally impact the quality of life of millions of women worldwide. Surgical repair is an effective and durable treatment for both conditions. Over the past two decades there has been a trend to enforce or reinforce repairs with synthetic and biological materials. The determinants of surgical outcome are many, encompassing the physical and mechanical properties of the material used, and individual immune responses, as well surgical and constitutional factors. Of the current biomaterials in use none represents an ideal. Biomaterials that induce limited inflammatory response followed by constructive remodelling appear to have more long term success than biomaterials that induce chronic inflammation, fibrosis and encapsulation. In this review we draw upon published animal and human studies to characterize the changes biomaterials undergo after implantation and the typical host responses, placing these in the context of clinical outcomes

    360° Mulsemedia: A Way to Improve Subjective QoE in 360° Videos

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    Previous research has shown that adding multisensory media-mulsemedia-to traditional audiovisual content has a positive effect on user Quality of Experience (QoE). However, the QoE impact of employing mulsemedia in 360° videos has remained unexplored. Accordingly, in this paper, a QoE study for watching a 360° video-with and without multisensory effects-in a full free-viewpoint VR setting is presented. The parametric space we considered to influence the QoE consists of the encoding quality and the motion level of the transmitted media. To achieve our research aim, we propose a wearable VR system that provides multisensory enhancement of 360° videos. Then, we utilise its capabilities to systematically evaluate the effects of multisensory stimulation on perceived quality degradation for videos with different motion levels and encoding qualities. Our results make a strong case for the inclusion of multisensory effects in 360° videos, as they reveal that both user-perceived quality, as well as enjoyment, are significantly higher when mulsemedia (as opposed to traditional multimedia) is employed in this context. Moreover, these observations hold true independent of the underlying 360° video encoding quality-thus QoE can be significantly enhanced with a minimal impact on networking resources

    Waiting times for diagnosis of attention-deficit hyperactivity disorder in children and adolescents referred to Italian ADHD centers must be reduced

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    BACKGROUND: To investigate timely access to and the time needed to complete the diagnostic path of children and adolescents with suspected attention deficit hyperactivity disorder (ADHD) in the 18 Italian Lombardy Region ADHD reference centers. METHODS: Data of children and adolescents enrolled in the Regional ADHD disease-oriented Registry for suspected ADHD who requested their first visit in 2013-2017 were analyzed. RESULTS: The sample comprised 2262 children and adolescents aged 5-17\u2009years who accessed the ADHD centers for diagnostic classification and management. The median waiting time was of 177\u2009days (range 66-375) from the request for the initial appointment to the completion of the diagnostic path, with a three - fold difference between centers. In addition to the center, the strongest significant predictors of long waiting times were age comorbidities, the severity of the disorder, and having already completed some diagnostic procedures provided by the common standard path. CONCLUSIONS: To guarantee an equal standard of care in ADHD centers for all children and adolescents there is a pressing need to reduce the times to complete the diagnostic path. It is the task of both policymakers and each center to optimize the quality of the service and of the care delivered
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